Russia threatens to attack US troops supporting Syrian rebels if they don't abandone base

Russia has warned it will bomb US troops in Syria if they don’t abandon bases occupied by rebel forces as it prepares to assist Syrian president Assad in his final push to defeat pro-democracy rebels in that country..But the last time they did this, dozens of Russians ended up dead.

Pro-Assad Syrian troops, supported by Iranian and Russian forces, have begun their assault on the last rebel stronghold, the province of Idlib.

But as the battle unfolds, Russia has cast its eyes to the Iraq-Jordan-Syria border region where dozens of US troops are located in well established fortifications built to help train the locals resist Islamic State — and the forces of dictator Bashar al-Assad.

Russian President Vladimir Putin accuses the United States of ‘protecting’ terrorist forces sharing the facilities at At Tanf, less than 20km from the Jordanian border. A 55km exclusion zone has been in operation around the base for several years, enforced by US navy and air force combat jets.

Now Kremlin officials say their presence will no long prevent Russian forces from attacking the rebels there. But Pentagon officials show little sign of ceding their bastion of military and political influence in the deeply troubled region.